Industrial-Organizational Psychologists Career Video

Description: Apply principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems. Activities may include policy planning; employee testing and selection, training and development; and organizational development and analysis. May work with management to organize the work setting to improve worker productivity.

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Video Transcript

Many companies say their greatest resource is their employees. Industrial-organizational psychologists help develop positive, effective work environments that support employee success, and organizational productivity. Focusing on making a strong match between employees and positions, they are often adept at job analysis— learning which skills and qualities are most important for different jobs. They develop testing and selection methods to make the best hiring decisions, and help current employees find advancement opportunities within their organization. When conflicts occur, they participate in mediation and dispute resolution. Industrial-organizational psychologists also advise leaders on how to communicate effectively. They use surveys and other tools to identify the areas an organization needs to change to be more successful. To improve morale, lower stress, and build stronger teams, these psychologists also develop training programs for staff and managers. Work settings for this field are most often corporations, research groups, government agencies, or independent work consulting with different types of organizations. A master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology is required to enter this field; some positions require a Ph.D. The great reward for an industrial-organization psychologist… comes from seeing employees achieve their own job satisfaction.